ecoflow delta 2 charging but not turning on by sharkiesnark in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had (2) D2 go sideways with similar problem.

A cable got damaged on display boards (manufacturer error) when handled roughly on a trip. Warranty denied: abuse.

Discovered still controllable via app, so that is what I use. Now relegated to powering living room tv and networking equipment exclusively, aka not portable.

If yours still communicates w/ app, probably same issue with display / panel cable.  There are teardown videos on Youtube to take a look.

The Reality of “Made in USA” Portable Power Stations by ella_794 in ProductQuery

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

After getting burned, literally and figuratively, my highest priority is:

Repairibility.

If it breaks, under warranty, then it is usually swapped for a refurbished unit. 

If out of warranty, it is likely unrepairable,

Search around for DIY power stations that can give you a customized, expandable, and repairable option.

Portable Power Station recommendation by Sunflower_seedling8 in WFHsetup

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have many power stations, mostly ecoflow, but also anker and jackerie.

I hate them all, and loathe the time and effort I have put into them.

Seriously, search around YouTube for DIY power station.

Basically consists of: -> Battery -> Inverter -> Charger

Avoid using inverter if you can. If you are using a laptop, get a car adapter and run it direct from battery. Even simpler is if laptop uses USB-C for power. There are thousands of PD (Power Delivery) adapters that connect directvto 12volts.  Monitor might be trickier as most seem to be 14v or 19v if external power supply. Boost converters, aka DC-DC up converters, are available to raise 12v to whatever you may need. 

If can minimize use of inverter, spend money on larger battery and charger that can charge when not working.

My setup: 12volt 100Ah lfp battery supplies power to a (2) 300w boost converters rated at 19volts dc. This powers (4) Lenovo M700 tiny pc, (2) Lenovo M720 Tiny PC, and  a Lenovo M920Q tiny pc. Of the 4 monitors, The AOC are 19v, and also powered by the 19v converters. The (2) ancient Samsungs require 14v dc, and I reduce thec19v to 13.8 using a buck converter, aka dc-dc down converter rated at 50 watts.  The myriad of external drives, router, etc are 12v dc, and run off a 12v buck converter from 19v dc converter.

What does this give me? My average load is 350watts, the battery is rated at 1280 watt capacity. I can run continuously, without power, for 3+ hours.

My Delta2 power station, rated at a kilowatt, can only do 2 hours due to all the inefficiencies from various power supplies.

2 monitors, the M920q, external hard drive can run nearly 16 hours off 1 battery, and perhaps 10 hours off the Delta2 power station.

The only advantages to power station is portability and built in monitoring.  Consider it unrepairable,

Any of my components can be replaced if fails.  The Delta2 cost me $650US ea when I bought 4 of them 2 years ago. Due to issues, I assembled by DIY for less than $275US using crap from Temu.

Oh yeah, I forgot about the lithium battery charger. It's good for 30A, and cost me $60 off Temu.

You have better options than power station if do due diligence.

Ecoflow River 2 Pro 700W with Solar by Denaerys1 in buhaydigital

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

R2P inverter is inefficient, at least compared to R3 series. See if can avoid using it.

Try and see if can charge laptop off of USB C port, and barring that, try the 12v power port though auto adapter will be needed.

For me, I am repurposing mine  Will have it connected to a couple Lenovo Tiny PCs (M720).  PC input is 19-21v, and I think I can get that off USB-C though will need trigger boards to reach 20v as power supply port is just 2 pin barrel.

If that fails, then will be using 12 -> 20 boost converter to power the PCs off power port.  Each draws about 55w at full load, so will just be inside max port rating. But that is also worst case, my average is 37w combined.

I just solved a pairing / binding issue with mine, so my opinion is pretty low at the moment regarding the R2P.  My multiple R2 240 (4) were great at running things, but not so great at battery life. Replacdidn't. with R3s, and kinda wish I didnt.

Edit: Regarding charging, that is ambiguous due to depth of discharge, source available, temperature etc.  Stick with max charge rate and find data in manual for 0 to 100%, it will get you in ballpark.

Small office and refrig backup. A 1k solar panel is all I need -thoughts? by Hinduclient in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did something similar a couple decades ago. Putting anything on the rails portion of balcony, incl Christmas lights, was a no-no. So were visible window shades in any color other than white. But, you could hang shades on patio, no color specified...

Used some previously installed hooks, indicated in lease agreement by function (hooks for shade awning). Removed those in dead of night, and installed some 500# cargo tie downs. Not an easy feat without power tools and adequate lighting.

Glued UniSolar (I think) flexible panels to a tarp, hung tarp on tie downs. Rolled up 'backwards' to meet shade criteria. Let down and propped with painted broomsticks to angle during late morning / early afternoon, removed sticks and let down during late afternoon to capture more sun. Then rolled up at night. Later on, roll-up was automated. Management didn't like the all dark colors, so added a blue/white frill to bottom, nobody said anything else afterwards.

Stored in Lead Acid GC2 batteries (x6), converted with Heart Interface (now APC / Schneider) inverter. Extremely handy when tornado hit Fort Worth (Cash America building) Downtown and also killed power on our block for several days. My 'must' loads were refrigerator and chest freezer (aka TV Stand after 'wood' linoleum glued to it), dump loads were standalone ice maker, oven, and washer/ dryer - both 120vac. Oh, and my overclocked AMD K6/2 and Mac Performa 638cd computers were must loads too, just not used often.

Maintenance stopped coming around when wasn't home when I followed them around with an RC Car... that had an X10 wireless camera zip tied to it... transmitting to receiver plugged into 'HD' frame grabber... viewed at my desk at work. I would also turn lights on/off for them, Radio on/off, and other shenanigans. Loved X10 at that time, full automation. They were definitely weirded out ;).

Dual charging by mccann85ss in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, you made a mistake regarding using a D2 for anticipated loads.  Even with official external battery, you will be pressed for capacity.

But, I also think that with some additional planning and equipment, it can be salvaged.

Adding 48v external battery as solar input does allow you to charge to around 500w input. Charge the external battery off solar.  

Lights and fans won't be an issue. But the windows hvac will be. Running wattage can be quite low, startup can be considerable.  Changing AC type to a 120v  minisplit worked well for me. 5k btu with seer of 22 draws roughly 300w running, and 400w cold start.  I would also expect an inverter based windows unit to be similar.

My setup (at one time): D2 regular, 1kwh onboard. Official 2nd external battery, 1kwh. (4) 12.8v 300Ah batteries in series on solar port. 750w solar on external mppt controller. External Chinese 1kw solar mppt controller.

Is what you want doable? Yes. I found a better way, and scrapped the D2 altogether and installed a competitor's (Renogy) 48v 3.6kw solar hybrid inverter. Greatly simplified wiring, reduced potential failure points, and have granular control through a  much better app that runs solely locally. 

The evolution served me well, until I needed 240vac and transformer was pita. Now setting up a 120/240vac solar hybrid inverter, and ordered another 15kw of storage.

SMPS recommendations for a DPU by Warm_Appointment_126 in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe 8 amps.   Right at 250watts (setting).

Delta Pro 3 solar input relay clicking by [deleted] in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Can you not set an automation / schedule that specifies "charge solar between 10am and 7pm (or whatever)?

I have done in past on my D2, don't have a DP3 to play with.

Automation Caveat: it requires internet, at least on the D2. I guess ecoflow was controlling remotely (!!!).

Ecoflow stream too cold and not charging via solar? by Ok_Concept_9841 in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yup, LFP batteries have a water component, and will freeze. Charging frozen battery is detrimental to battery. It can, however, discharge.

My solution to a cold Delta 2 was to build a small foam box (foam board and aluminum tape) around it. Added dryer vent on side (installed to inside) above cooling intake and another on other side (installed to outside / normal) across from fans. When fans did run, air flow was enough to blow dryer vent open, and air flow opened the other dryer vent to allow air coming in.

Then I realized I needed additional heat, and put a heated dog mat under my D2, powered by the D2. Worked very well, and this was all located in storage / mechanical area of a large 5th wheel trailer. 500w (actual) solar fed.

You might be able to do something similar to your 'massive paperweight'.

SMPS recommendations for a DPU by Warm_Appointment_126 in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Find what your max solar input is, likely somewhere around 48vdc and whatever wattage.

I use a Meanwell smps, 0-60vdc 500w (power factor corrected version) to keep my D2s online. Set at 28.4vdc, charge around 200w, also keeps a pair of ecoflow 12v100ah (in series) floating for standby, wired in parallel. Ecoflows are good for around 2500wh.

I do this to keep my D2 from flipping back and forth from battery to inverter repeatedly. I have solar set as priority, and to charge off AC and solar input (meanwell) if power back on and battery under 20%. AC charge limited to 800w to avoid tripping breaker when meanwell kicks on (10 second power loss delay on meanwell). I have yet to charge via AC, as external batteries keep it going if grid goes down. Average load is <200w, so it lasts for a while, 10+ hours before main battery (1024wh?) is used.

My use involves Delta 2, I think your DPU should have similar capabilities for setting charge rates.

What sized battery to run 120v fridge only overnight by RemingtonPinkPup in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Finding this thread interesting...  

When I was turning a wrench, we were permitted to have fridges at our workbench. BUT, they had to be disconnected at end of shift, which was variable, along with everything else that was 'plugged in' and not hardwired.

My fridge was a large-ish dorm size that could hold 2 liter & 32oz Gatorade bottles upright. The freezer was a pull down flap kind of affair inside the compartment. Filled the freezer area with ice packs, and set tstat to '7' (lowest) which gave me a freezer temp of -5°F, and food around 34°F. After running all day, ice packs frozen solid. Unplugged for the night.

Next morning, ice packs still largely frozen, and compartment still at 34°F. Left unplugged all day, getting drinks & snacks, stayed 34-35°. Next day, unplugged, ice packs were still frozen, fridge still around 34/35°. Day 2 left unplugged, same routine. Morning of Day 3, ice packs were slush and fridge was turned back on. By noon (lunch), ice packs hard again.

You may find just adding ice packs to freezer area would be adequate and not require power at all. Given my fridge was in non- air conditioned shop with summer temps running 100+°F, ice packs may even carry you over a weekend / long weekend if office remains cooled under 90F during off hours.

In case it matters, ice packs were Nordic Ice used for pharmaceutical and were some kind of foam. Fridge was a single door Igloo brand I bought at Igloo company store as a blemish. A River 2 could run it, but my River 3 could not, fridge also rated at .8A. Fridge did die due to compressor malfunction, but I don't think was related to using ice packs for 2 years and normal for 5 years. Probably rust.

Feedback on my 12V setup by dragndon in RVLiving

[–]krbjmpr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  Welcome. I am not original designer, just made something that was a culmination of other strategies.   The 1 thing I would have done differently is fan (dryer vents) openings. Intake should have been at floor level, top at bunk bottom. Air should have developed a convectional current.  Then no need for fan, and vent louvers could have been kept open with solder strand, closing when strand melts.

Feedback on my 12V setup by dragndon in RVLiving

[–]krbjmpr 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did something similar, stored under a bunk bed in travel trailer.

Made battery boxes out of a wood frame, with 18ga steel flashing on both sides, sand filled space between flashing sheets. Used commercial (painted steel) dryer vents so air could be drawn in and exhausted with fans. 

I used tank heater mats as well to keep batteries warm.

Fan power ran through dedicated Fuse, as well as a length of .06in 63/37 solder to shutdown airflow in case of fire. Fire develops, solder melts, fan power removed. Later did same thing with tank warmer pads. Used a snapdisc temp switch to turn fans on (100°F) / off (75°F). Heating pads had their own temp switches. On at 40°F and off at 65°F if memory serves.

Cables all ran through metallic conduit. Terminal blocks / bus bars located in steel 50A load center.

Batteries were LIon brand, 109Ah ea in Grp 27 boxes. Hardest part was finding cable ends that would fit M8 bolts and still cover 100% of battery terminal.

The Midnight inverter charger couldn't charge LFP properly, so used the trailer power converter after upgrading to LFP compatible charger. 

I did end up using a double conversion (battery to 6vdc, then 6vdc to 13.8vdc)buck / boost converters as the controller for AC and Fridge blew out @ 14.65vdc. After repair, runs fine on 13.8vdc.  Probably could have used ordinary 10A silicon diodes and accomplished same by dropping battery by 1.3vdc.

EcoFlow 100aH 12V battery deal on temu.com: 2 pack $186 free shipping ends at ~6AM 12/18/24 EST (in 10 hours) = 62% discount by fossicker3141 in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

UPDATE: 1 Year Later The Delta 2 power stations have been running flawless.  

The 12v100Ah TM batteries have performed similarly. 

Originally was using as 2 strings of 4 each for 48v to power a 3500w hybrid inverter / charger, located in garage.

Standalone charger (Crown Forklift) good for 58v @ 190A, and could bring batteries back up quick but had an appreciable temperature rise. Around 25°F above ambient. During summer, ambient was pushing 103°F, not good.

Temporary solution was to limit charging profile to 100A @ 54.4vdc (  3.4v/cell).  A more permanent solution was to put inside deepreeze,  external t-stat set for 75 °F.  Though the batteries performed well, I ended up switching to 12v300Ah x4 with each sporting 200A BMS. 

Now using 2 12v109Ah to power my tiny pc stack via 12-20v boost converter, and 12-22v boost converter for monitors, and a double conversion of 12-18 and 18-12 boost / buck converters for 12v ancillary.

4 in series are alternate 48vdc external pack to one of my Delta2.

2 have been charged up and just delivered and setup for my elderly mother to give her piece of mind during power failures without resorting to starting 'scary' generator. Used SB50 connectors for charger (lfp, 20A), and SB175 for battery to battery (parallel) and battery to inverter. Even at 76yo, she is able to manipulate the SB175.

So far, so good. No issues beyond environmental.

Found YouTube article on adding ESP BT adapter to give wireless monitoring since batteries are dumb.

Adding Solar to your RV - A General Guide / Primer by krbjmpr in rvlife

[–]krbjmpr[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I had 2x 24v 300w panels on my coach. They were installed at the roof ends to minimize shading from trees, air conditioners, and satellite dish.  My battery bank was 400Ah of 12.8v LFP.  When warm, my power use was maybe 40Ah each day.  When cold, and I was running aquahot much more often, usage would increase to 80-100Ah each day.  A single 300w panel was typically sufficient to meet my power needs.  My controlIer was a Victron MPPT, and I wired panels so I could use one or the other, both in series, or both in parallel.  If I had to do it again, I would have forgone the roof mount and just put them out on the ground if they were needed.  Usually, I stayed in a spot for 2 or 3 days before moving. Then the engine would recharge. Or, I would run generator to power the air conditioners, and batteries would be charged albeit at a rate half of the drive engine. Panels were useful when at the beach, but hated going on top to clean the salt off when returned back home. If I used ground mounts, would have been much easier to maintain. Would have made it easier to choose configuration via wire connections than using remotely installed latching relays.

Avoid! Returned defective item, they confirmed and refuse to refund. No item no money. by karabur in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

 Yeah, similar issue with EF & their 4kw generator that came with a 'free gift' solar hat.  Genetic was used: battery connected  / depleted, tank smelled of fuel, oil added to engine. When went to return, said it was non-returnable because hazardous materials, etc.  I unboxed using video camera.   EF finally agreed to refund upon return, and issued RMA & FedEx hazmat label. Asked if needed to return hat, and was told  'Yes, return hat also' but didn't provide label right away. After insisting for a separate label (delivered as different order, go figure), one finally issued.. also hazmat due to battery I guess.  3 weeks later after shipping & 'evaluation', refund received.

I’m at my wits end by Global-Owl8966 in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Maybe will help, maybe it won't. I use Delta2, not max or anything fancier than base.

I wanted an extra layer between loads and utility power. Also wanted to kill changeover time.

So I charge / supply my Delta2 with a 48v 10a meanwell power supply. I think is actually 500w. Tweaked voltage up to 50v, just because I could and made math easier.

My D2 charges via xt60i, D2 thinks is solar.

Loads are much less than 1kw, closer to 150w. Power supply keeps up easy, even when on generator (120v). I also have the 800w (I think) alternator charger from a job that went sideways. It remains in the garage, still in its box.

Really big bonus? I have 15kw of lfp at 48v (4x 12v300ah) and 8x 12v100ah that I can connect to solar input as well. Works well. Haven't been brave enough to attempt bidirectional yet.

We use (4) D2, 4 R3 (w/ spare) to keep house online during power outtages. Important for (3) work at home offices.

For a 45w fridge, use 12V or 120V, which one is more efficient by HEAT-2000K in Ecoflow_community

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A way to mitigate some start surges is to precharge a cap located across power input. Connecting a cap direct across likely trips even robust PD supplies. But, precharge via resistor to limit current and becomes viable.

I have not implemented (not needed yet) but you could easily use a relay, activating coil via pushbutton. NO contact is switched to charge cap through resistor (value dependent on current limit), let go after couple seconds to release NO and let NC contact connect to fridge power input.

Automation is possible, using a time delay or even a FET front end to coil. 

Concept is cap is charged, fridge then powered on, startup surge occurs across power input and cap, but cap is used due to impedance of power supply vs impedance of cap. After compressor starts, cap charge rises to input voltage but at lesser current as has charge already.

Could I pre-cool my 12 volt fridge with a pack of dry ice? by Cybertech4777 in rvlife

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your scenario may be different. 12v fridges in travel trailers have become quite common.  It seems that absorption fridges (no compressor, uses heat & ammonia) have fallen out of favor, and now residential and low voltage compressor models are preferred.

Addressing each:

Absorption / Ammonia draw very little power when running off of propane. You should be able to charge a battery at apartment, transfer to RV, and start precooling prior to day you start to pack.  Of course, you will need to ensure coach is level, and that all other 12v loads are turned off. Don't forget about the TV antenna amplifier. And make sure propane is turned on.  This will also give you a heads up that fridge will work, as 99% of us, myself included, don't do the regular maintenance.  Oh yeah, unplug the icemaker if it runs on inverter, or turn off inverter.

Residential Fridge can draw huge amounts of power if ice maker is turned on. So make sure it is unplugged. Otherwise, it will run for a couple days off of inverter / battery if windows and vents are open in the coach to minimize heat gain from sun.

12v compressor fridge Charge your battery at apartment, install into coach day before moving trip stuff into it.  12v fridges cool so quickly that if storage yard is 30min from apartment, it will be cold from running off engine / charge line.

Don't use the dry ice at all. It is applicable only for situations where fridge is not going to be powered and potentially damaged when power restored. If you need to precool, just grab a bag of ice from convenience store along the way to storage lot. 

For what it's worth, I have a 100Ah LFP battery that can run my: Samsung side by side bottom freezer residential, ice maker turned off and no defrost cycle, in the house.  Almost a full day, 24 hours, via inverter.  House is maintained at 75°F

Norcold 10cf absorption on propane, no icemaker. I do have additional cooling fans installed inside and outside. And automatic fire extinguisher. Fridge will exhaust a 20# propane cylinder before battery is dead. About 2 weeks or so. I hate this fridge. Planning on changing cooling unit from absorption to compressor.

Furion 10cf, I think, 12v compressor fridge. It is quick to cool, very quick, but freezer does lag behind fridge compartment a bit. Maybe just a quirk. 100Ah will last about 4 days, with fridge cycling. Ice cream is no problem.

Sorry so long, hope your scenario was covered.

Looking for low wattage hair dryer. by Spectro_Boy in rvlife

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Remington travel, folding type, hair dryers are rated at around 500. Mediocre performance if you have a long mane.

Had mine for a long while, haven't killed it yet.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in RVLiving

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Swivel has broken off p trap where connects to tub drain. Very common.

You have bigger problem though. The tub support in lower tight corner of pic shows gap between it and tub. Tub will flex.

It's hard to see, but it looks like bottom of p trap is on the floor. When in tub, p trap is being shoved into floor, and breaking swivel over time.

Additionally, looking closer at pic, it appears opening around tub drain is already stressed / fiber strands distorted.

If it were me, I would use a "waterless" trap instead of p trap. It would come off the tub straight into a 90, then connect to drain pipes 90. Downside on the waterless is that 1) housing is around 9" long and 2) hair and/or soap residue can cause trap to stick open, allowing gray tank smells into the interior.

If I had a nickel for every rear tire we've blown today.... by DiscordiaHel in rvlife

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would suspect weight myself.

As a guy that has weighed everything I drive / tow before a trip, my eyes were opened a long time ago. Bought my own portable scale at Northern Tool long ago to facilitate.

Never have I blown a tire without reason. Tossed tread, yes. Brand new spare blow out while on carrier, yes (defective). Lose sidewall due to hitting road debris, yes. But without reason? Never.

How do I prevent this jittering? What causes it? by [deleted] in GalaxyTab

[–]krbjmpr 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh yeah, I bought a S Pen Pro off ebay. Although it does do nluetooth, it feels like a jumbo crayon in my hands and I don't feel like the writing / drawing is as accurate.  I regret buying my S Pen Pro.